Argentina and Lionel Messi would be hoping to put a torrid qualification race behind them and make this FIFA World Cup a special one.

The FIFA World Cup is always an incredible spectacle as it gathers all the best players in the world for a football festival that lasts one amazing month. Hosts Russia will take on Saudi Arabia in the opening match of the quadrennial event in which 32 teams will fight for the title to be called world's best. The teams have been divided into eight groups of four each and Group D will be one of the most entertaining to watch as it contains arguably the greatest football player of all time. This group appears to be the so-called 'Group of Death', with Argentina, Croatia, Nigeria and Iceland all fighting to reach the knockout stages.

Group D teams: Argentina, Croatia, Iceland, Nigeria

Now, let us get to know more about this collection of teams that make up perhaps the most entertaining group of the tournament.

Argentina

A turbulent qualification campaign saw Argentina book their place at the last opportunity with a victory over Ecuador, but the losing finalists in 2014 will be looking to go one better. However, a Lionel Messi-less side's 1-6 loss to Spain in March suggests that this is a big ask. They are most certainly not a one-man team but Lionel Messi scored at least five more goals than any other Argentinian in qualification and will, of course, be marked heavily in every game that Argentina play.

Chelsea's Willy Caballero, following an injury to Sergio Romero, is Argentina's first choice goalkeeper and is protected by former Barcelona defender Javier Mascherano and Manchester City's Nicolas Otamendi.

Since reaching the semi-finals at France 1998, Croatia have failed to make it out of the group. Ivan Rakitic, Luka Modric and Ivan Perisic are exciting creative options for coach Zlatko Dalic, who was brought in at the end of qualification to steer Croatia to Russia. They have made it to the quarter-finals of the European Championships twice but have never won an international tournament.

Croatia's midfield is one of the best in international football containing Real Madrid's Modric and Mateo Kovacic along with Barcelona's Ivan Rakitic and Inter Milan's Ivan Perisic and Marcelo Brozovic.

The smallest nation by population ever to qualify for the World Cup finals, Iceland followed up their Euro 2016 heroics by topping a group featuring Croatia, Ukraine and Turkey. However, Everton star Gylfi Sigurdsson's knee injury is an unwanted concern heading into the tournament.

Incredibly, this is only Iceland's second-ever appearance at an international tournament, their first at the World Cup. They may have very few household names but they will definitely be ready to cause an upset.

An impressive qualifying campaign booked Nigeria's place in Russia. The Super Eagles have only missed one of the last seven tournaments but 2014's victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina was their first since 1998. Nigeria have never made it past the last 16 at the World Cup and were knocked out four years ago in Brazil by France.

This will be Nigeria's 6th World Cup and they will be desperate to please the millions of African fans supporting them from around the world.